Uganda had nine heads of state in its first 23 years of independence but since 1986 the country has been led by Yoweri Museveni, presidential flag bearer for the National Resistance Movement (NRM). Museveni came to power after a five year liberation struggle. In 2016, he will seek to mark 30 years at the helm by winning a fifth elected term in office. His tenure has witnessed a significant change in Uganda’s democratic environment.

In the 1990s, Uganda had a “no-party” democratic system in which political parties could exist but were not allowed to organise. In theory it allowed anyone to stand for president, providing they did not do so on a party platform. Critics viewed it as thinly-veiled authoritarianism; supporters as a way of creating inclusive politics. Under the system, Museveni was able to secure comprehensive first round victories in the 1996 (75%) and 2001 (69%) presidential elections.

Dr Kizza Besigye, a former liberation struggle ally and doctor to Museveni, had stood unsuccessfully in the 2001 presidential election. In 2004, he founded a political party, the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC). It was, and remains, the main opposition party in Uganda.

In 2011 the same two men faced off again, with the same result. Museveni increased his share of the vote by almost 10% and the NRM scored successes in new constituencies in the north of the country for the first time. Overall, the NRM won 259 parliamentary seats of the 385 available. International observers were “shocked by the monetisation of the election”, but reported that the voting process itself was good and – despite isolated incidents of electoral malpractice – an improvement on the previous poll.

Besigye, frustrated at his previous attempt to appeal through the courts, sought to galvanise civil disobedience nationwide through a “Walk to Work” campaign two months after the election. It was met with a violent response from the state: the Uganda Law Society suggested the country was akin to a police state. In the aftermath, Besigye vowed that he would stand down to allow for a new FDC leader to emerge.